Coupe de la Ligue: Marseille 1 Montpellier 0

Coupe de la Ligue: Marseille 1 Montpellier 0

Marseille claimed their second-straight Coupe de la Ligue with a 1-0 win over Montpellier in the final on Saturday.

Nigerian defender Taye Taiwo scored the only goal of the game in the 81st minute as Marseille became the first side to successfully defend the Cup in its 17-year history.

The French champions went within inches of opening the scoring in the 32nd minute through midfielder Mathieu Valbuena.

He controlled a loose ball on his chest and hit a half-volley from just inside the area, but it struck the post and bounced clear.

In a scrappy second half, Montpellier defender Cyril Jeunechamp came close when he tested Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda with a fierce drive.

But the Cup holders would eventually find a breakthrough nine minutes from full-time.

Montpellier shot-stopper Laurent Pionnier failed to make a decent connection to his attempted clearance from a free kick, and Taiwo’s right-footed strike found the bottom corner through a sea of bodies.

Marseille will be hoping their success has the same impact as it did last season when they went on to win Ligue 1. Didier Deschamps’ side sits a point behind leaders Lille with seven games remaining this campaign.